Draft talk is in full swing now that ESPN’s Mel Kiper has released his 2020 Mock Draft 1.0. After losing to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks will select at number No. 27 in the first round come April.
Kiper projects Seattle will select linebacker Zack Baun out of Wisconsin.
“It’s fair to say the early returns on 2019 first-round pick L.J. Collier, whom I ranked outside my top 50, were disappointing; he played just 142 defensive snaps and didn’t have a sack,” Kiper writes. “Put that next to an injury-plagued season from Ezekiel Ansah and an inconsistent year from Jadeveon Clowney, and the Seahawks produced a very un-Pete-Carroll-like 28 total sacks, tied for second-fewest in the league.”
“This front seven could be depleted in free agency – Jarran Reed is another who could leave – which means Baun, whom I really wanted to find a way to sneak into the first round here, makes a lot of sense,” Kiper continues. “He’s not going to be a traditional hulking 4-3 defensive end, but he gets after quarterbacks in different ways. His 2019 breakout season (12.5 sacks) included a few “wow” moments from his relentlessness, and he’s going to get some comps to former Badger T.J. Watt. If he lands in Seattle, he’d play outside linebacker, but he’d get plenty of opportunities to get after quarterbacks.
“I thought about Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who has had a good week at the Senior Bowl as a Reed replacement, but I’ll stick with Baun.”
With a significant increase in the salary cap this upcoming season, it’s foreseeable the Seahawks could renew a contract or two as opposed to losing so many players to free agency.
What Seattle manages to do come March will have a huge impact on the Seahawks’ draft board.
